These facts have been mentioned before so Im not claiming novelty in stating them. But maybe they havnt been looked at in this light before.

I consider them inside jokes, maybe youll think of them differently.

1. The Jinhao 159 - this is quite clearly a winking reference to the Mont Blanc 149, to some minds the iconic representation of the fountain pen.

(Let me start off another series of controversies and say that I believe that distinction should go to a more pedestrian, but obviously more world-widely accessible, pen such as the Pilot Metropolitan, the Lamy Safari, or perhaps the Platinum 3776; Im sure others will suggest their candidate)

Anyway, the Jinhao 159 is, amoung those who know, and depending on your perspective, a sly or shameless reference to the MB 149. When you consider that one pen costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $800.00 and the other costs somewhere between $5.00 and $10.00 I think 159 is a pretty cool kind of joke or reference.

2. Noodlers Borealis Black This is a sly reference by Nathan Tardiff to Aurora Black ink (to point out the obvious Aurora Borealis) which to many, and not without some justification, is the epitome of an excellent fountain pen ink: well-behaved in virtually all pens and on most papers, and with a deep, strong black color we expect from a black ink.

Can anyone else cite some other examples of inside jokes of the fountain pen world?

The prizes of life are never to had without trouble - Horace

Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

Oh, more like what the OP had in mind: Jinhao 599, which is a knockoff of a Lamy Safari. I didn't think I could get used to the triangular grip, so I avoided getting a Safari for the longest time. Then someone gave me a metal bodied 599, and I was like "Well, okay, maybe I *can* deal with the grip on a "real" Safari. Ditto with the Dollar 717i, which led me (to some extent) to want a TWSBI piston filler. And the "happened onto" Parker 21 from an antiques mall -- I liked it well enough to want a "real" Parker 51. And now I have something like 9 or 10 of THOSE.... Plus a 51 Special and a 41....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

That we won't pay as much or more than a vintage rare pen costs for an origonal box.
This is in contrast to "collectables" hobbyists that frequently do.
I found out about this kind of behavior regarding antique and collectable firearms when I witnessed the prices realized for empty cardboard shipping boxes at an old hardware store auction. It is my understanding they do the same kind of thing with some model train engines, cars and accessories.
And to think, some people think we are crazy to spend more than a buck on a pen.

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